Dehumidifier construction for clothes dryer



Nov. 1 0, 1959 Filed Jan. 13, 1958 J. BocHAN 2,911,731

nmuMInIFIER CONSTRUCTION FOR CLOTHES DRYER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 BY wir@ HIS ATTORNEY N0V- 10, 1959 J. BocHAN 2,911,731

OEHUMIDIFIER CONSTRUCTION FOR CLOTHES DRYER Fired Jan. 1s, 195e 2 sheets-sheet 2 INVEN TOR. :rouw som-AN BY g2g/JM H IS ATTQRNEY United States Patent O i CONSTRUCTION FOR CLOTHES DRYER y Application January 13,19ss,seria1 No.1os,4zs

z claims. (61.34-75) This invention relates tov clothes drying machines, and more' particularly to an improved construction for prodehumidiflcation of thek hot air used to dry the clothes insuclr machines.

There are several commercially available clothes drymachinesat the present time, primarily in the field of combination washing and drying machines, where the drying. is effected by evaporatingthe liquid out of the Wet elothe'sas they are tumbled in a basket; the warm moist air which results is subsequently dehumidied by contact with afsheet or lmof cold water. One wayl of achieving-:such: a sheet ofv cold water is, for instance, to cause intox ow down the side of `a cylindrical basket rotating on aV generally horizontal axis. Another way, which has also. been found highly effective, is to spray water onto a. disk which has substantially the same diameter as the basket and' which is coaxially positioned adjacent one end thereof so as to rotate-therewith. Both of these arrangements provide a thin iilm of coldwater flowing down a result of the .actionv of gravity; contacty of the hot humid yain-fatter itk has been in contact with the clothesewith the film of water then results in cooling the air beneath its dew point to condense out the moisture` in. it. The air is then ready to be heated and circulated over the clothesonce again for drying purposes. Where the rotating disktype of construction is preferred .to obtain a film, it has been found that the fact `that the water is. sprayed onto the disk, thatis, that it has some appreciable` velocity at the moment ofcontacting the impedes its, formation into a thin iilrn spread over the disk. Accordingly itis desirable to provide, in cooperative relation with the rotating disk, an arrangement which wilL reduce` close to zero the velocity of the water as. it is brought intov contact with the disk so that a highly effective action is, obtained. in the formation of a lm of water on. the disk.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide means in cooperation with a rotating disk in a drying machine to bring water into contact with the disk at a velocity close tozero so that the hlming of the water oyer'the disk will be helped- .Ai further object of the invention` isv to4 provide such 2,911,731 Patented Nov. 10, 1959 ice the trough having side walls lclosely adjacent the sides of the disk and being formed closely adjacent the peripheral surface of the disk at the end where the disk enters the trough. Water is supplied to the trough and, with the construction described, during rotation the water is brought to a virtual standstill within the trough and the disk then picks up the water in the trough so as to provide,y a film of water tov dehumidifythe air after it has passed over the clothes. The iilm is eifectiv'ely formed because the water is practically not in motion at wthe time it is picked up by the disk.

The trough is formed so that that edge of it which is formed closely adjacent the peripheral surface of the disk at the end where the disk enters the trough is the lowest point of the trough. When this construction is provided, water is prevented from coming out of the trough by the motion of the disk during rotation thereof, but once the diskv stops rotating the water, together with sand and othersediment, is free to flow out of the trough and then, in the usual manner, to suitable sump means provided in the machine.

The subject matter which I regard as my invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the a. construction. where the device which provides the water Contact with` the disk is of a generally self emptying nature so5 that there will beney tendency to catch sand qu lsediment and` at the endv of an operation there will remain nowater excepty in the sump of the machine.

ln-.carrying out; the invention I provide, in a clothes concluding portion of this specification. My invention, howevenboth as to organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may be best understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying1 drawings in which:

,Ei-g. l is a rear elevational viewv of a combination washer dryer including my new and improved water spreading arrangement in one form thereof, the view being, partly broken away and partly in section in order to illustrate details; v

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the machine of Fig. l partly in section and with certain surfaces broken away toshow details; and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of that portion of the machine which constitutes my new and improved construction.

Referringv now to the drawings, I have shown therein ay combination washer dryer 1 which is so constructed and arranged that it proceeds through a sequence of op.- erations, rstwashing the clothes placed therein and then dryingy them. During the drying portion of the machine operation the` clothes are heated so as to extract moisture therefrom. and this moisture is condensed by iiowing a sheet of cold condenser water over a rotating disk. As will be explained hereinafter, by my invention I, have provided in the machine 1 new and improved meansv for improving the eifectivenessof the spreading of the sheet of water over the disk.

The machine 1 is of the horizontal axis type, that is it includes a clothes basket 2 which is rotatable about a generally horizontal axis. Basket 2 is mounted within an outer imperforate tub 3 and the cylindrical side wall of the Abasketis provided with a plurality of perforations or, ,holesl to allow communication between the basket and the chamber 4 deiined by the tub. The basket is ro,- tatably supported in tubk 3 by a horizontally extending shaft 5 which is mounted in an elongated bearing 6 hung from the rear wall of the tub structure. The shaft 5,V as welll as supporting basket 2, also serves to drive it during the operation of the machine. The basket is loaded and unloaded throughan opening in the front wall thereof which is aligned respectivelywith openings in tub. and the outer appearance cabinet 7 of the machine. Ay hinged door 8 mounted on the appearance cabinet seals around the tub opening so as to close oi chamber 4 during the operation of the machine.

The imper'forate tub or casing 3 and the appearance cabinet are both mounted on'a suitable base structure 9at the bottom of the machin 'Ihe tub specifically is mounted thereon by means of a plurality of brackets or larms 10 which are secured to upstandingplates` 11 fixedly attached on the base. "In addition to the tub and the appearance cabinet,baseY 9 also mounts thebasket drive means which include a motor 12 and a multi-speed transmission. The motor drives the transmission assembly'rby means of a belt 14 and the transmission assembly in turn between the lower and higher speedsV may preferably comprise a solenoid operated plunger (not shown).

As mentioned above, machine 1 is a combination washer-dryer, that is, it proceeds through a cycle of operations rst washing and damp drying the clothes then, if desired, completely or ut drying the clothes. lClothes basket 2 is driven at its lower speed both for washing the clothes and for tumbling them during the drying operation. It is driven at higher speeds for extracting wash and rinse water from them by centrifugal extraction. The means for achieving this sequence form no part of the present invention and are not described herein. However, a sequence control and circuit suitable for use inv the illustrated machine are described and claimed in the copending joint application of John W. Toma and John E. Ryan, Serial No. 584,658, led May 15, 1956 and assigned to the General Electric Company, the owner of the present invention.

To heat the clothes during the drying operation, and also to heat the wash water during the washing portion of the operation where desired (as is more fully explained in the aforementioned Toma et al. application), there is provided in the machine a heater assembly including two heaters 18 and 19. These heaters are mounted within the upper portion of the chamber 4 defined by tub 3 so that when energized they heat basket 2. |The heating elements are preferably of the sheathed type as shown. When they are energized during the washing cycle they heat the water by first heating the basket. Then, as the basket dips into the wash water at the bottom of the tub it in turn heats the water. In other Words, the rotating basket serves as an effective heat transfer means between the heating element and the water or other washing liquid. When the heaters are energized during the drying cycle the heat transferred to the basket is then passed machine a pressure actuated sensing device, or water level control 28 controls both water solenoids 22 and 23 to maintain the proper water level in the machine during the washing operation. This sensing device is connected to the interior of the tub 3 by a suitable conduit 29.

The machine 1 is of the type which uses cold water during the drying cycle for condensing the moisture extracted from the wet clothes. Specifically, cold condenser water is admitted to machine 1 from the cold water conduit 21 during the drying cycle by means of a valve controlled by a solenoid 30 which is energized during the drying operation so that the valve it controls passes water at a slow rate suicient to condense the moisture extracted from the clothes. As shown, the condenser water valve discharges into a funnel 31 through a separate conduit 32. An air gap between conduit 32 and the funnel prevents supply line contamination. From funnel 31 the condenser water flows through a line 33 into a trough-like construction 34 formed with a pair of side walls 35 and 36 (Fig. 3), a lower front edge 37, and an upper back edge 38. y

Secured to shaft 5 so that it is generally coaxial with basket 2 and so that it rotates therewith is a thin disk 39 which, as shown, preferably Ahas a relatively large diameter approaching that of the basket. Disc 39 is positioned ,.Within tub 3 so as to be in the path of the heated air after it has circulated over the clothes in basket 2. The disk 39 and trough 34 are so positioned relative to each other that as the disk rotates with the basket in the direction of the arrow shown in Figrl, a portion of its periphery passes within the space defined betweenwalls 35 and 36. This space is so formed that the disk passes closely adjacent the side walls 35 and 36. In addition, a minimum amount of clearance is provided at the lower front edge 37 of the trough and the peripheral surface 40 of the disk. While it is not of the essence, the trough may be formed as shown with a curved bottom section so that the rear edge 38 of the trough is also closely adjacent the peripheral surfacer40 of disk 39.

plied through conduit 33, disk 39 will during its-rotation on to the clothes to cause vapor migration out of the v elements passes directly to the clothes by radiation to aid in the moisture removal action.

The means whereby water is admitted to and discharged from tub 3 during operation of the machine includes connections 20 and 21 through which hot and cold water are respectively supplied to the machine for the washing operation. A valve controlled by a solenoid 22 admits hot water to the machine and a valve controlled by a solenoid 23 admits cold water to the machine. The hot and cold water valves under the control of the solenoids 22 and 23 discharge through a common outlet conduit 24 through a suitable air gap into a funnel 25 and thence into a line 26 which leads to a sump 27 mounted at the bottomof the tub. The sump is connected to the interior of the tub,

pick up from within trough 34 the water which is in a substantial stationary condition. The rotation of disk 39 has been found to prevent loss of water from edge 37 ofthe trough when a relatively small clearance is provided between it and the moving edge 40 of disk 39. Thus, there is no loss of the water out of the trough except for that taken by the disk 39. At the same time, gravity tends to make the water flow down. This downward pull of gravity and the rotational tendency imparted by the disk combine to make the water flow down in a relatively thin film over the entire surface of the disk on both sides thereof. After the water ows down in a thin lilm on both sides of the disc over about the upper half thereof, the motion of the disk and gravity will tend to be inthe same direction so that the water is thrown olf the disk slightly before it gets back to trough 34 i. e., in the quadrant of the disk indicated at 41a, and is thus carried down to sump 27 and out ofthe machine through drain' pipe 42 and pump 43. In other words, trough 34 is substantially entirely in the lower left quadrant of the disk (Fig. 1); the used water leaves'the disk almostI entirely in the lowerright quadrant and there is thus little tendency for the relative; ly warm used water to drip, back into the trough. This action, with the water being-picked up by the disk and effectively spread out into a ilm on each side'thereof and then sprayed olf Vto the sump, continues during rotation of the disk. As soon as the disk stops rotating, the controls lare arranged to stop the supply of Water being provided through conduit 33. Whatever water then remains in trough 34 then drains out at edge 37, which is the lowest point in the trough, so that the trough is empty and no water is retained within the machine. As the Water drains out, it carries with it any sand or sediment thus preventing such matter from collecting in the trough.

Thus the combination of the water being supplied into the trough with the rotating disk provides an effective means of achieving a thin film of water for air dehumidication purposes while at the same time precluding water from remaining in the trough once the drying operation has been terminated.

Summing up briefly the operation of machine 1, it will be understood that the clothes are rst tumbled in soapy Water to wash them free of soiled particles and stains. The wash water is, of course, introduced into the machine with the inlet valves controlled by solenoids 2.2 and 23. After the clothes have been washed for a suitable length of time the wash water is then drained from the machine by pump 43 and the basket is driven at high speed to extract the wash water from the clothes. Following this, clean rinse water is introduced into the machine by means of the water inlet valves and the clothes are tumbled in the rinse Water so as to rinse them of suds. The rinse Water is then drained from the machine and the clothes are again spun at high speed leaving them in a damp dry condition. The heaters 18 and 19 are then turned on and the basket is driven at tumble speed so as to heat or iiuff dry the clothes.

As the machine passes into the drying operation with the heaters 18 and 19 energized, the solenoid 30 of the condenser water Valve is energized so that condenser Water is passed into the machine through conduit 33 which leads the water to trough 34 where it is picked up by disk 39, formed into an effective de-humidifying film, forced olf into sump 27, and then removed by pump 43. When the clothes have been substantially dried by the action of the heaters and the condensing lm, the drying cycle is then terminated automatically, as for example, by the action of a thermostat 44 provided in connection with a` suitable control apparatus as mentioned above. At this point the disk stops rotating, the water stops iiowing, and all the remaining water in trough 34 drains out into the sump 27.

While in accordance with the patent statutes I have described what at present is considered to be the preferred embodiment of my invention it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the invention and itis therefore aimed in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a clothes drying machine for drying clothes by contact with heated air, a perforated basket rotatable on a non-vertical axis, means for circulating air in and about said basket, a disk member secured adjacent the end of said basket and rotatable therewith, said disc member being arranged -in the path of the air which has been circulated Within said basket, means for rotating said basket and disk member during the drying operation, a trough formed about a portion of the periphery of said disk at the bottom of said disc, said trough having walls closely adjacent the sides of said disk and being formed closely adjacent the peripheral surface of said disk at the end where said disk enters said trough, said trough being formed so that said end thereof constitutes the lowest point therein, and water supply means connected to said trough whereby during rotation said disk picks up water in said trough thereby to provide a film of water on said disk for de-humidifying the heated air after it has passed over the clothes.

2. In a clothes drying machine for drying clothes by contact with heated air, a perforated basket rotatable on a non-vertical axis, means for circulating air in and about v said basket, a disk member co-axially secured adjacent an end of said basket and rotatable therewith, said disc member being arranged in the path of the air which has been circulated within said basket, means for rotating said basket and said disk member during a drying operation, a trough formed about a portion of the periphery of said disk at the bottom of said disk, said trough having side walls closely adjacent the sides of said disk and being formed closely adjacent the peripheral surface of said disk at the end where said disk enters said trough, said trough being formed so that said end thereof constitutes the lowest point therein, and water supply means connected to said trough whereby during rotation said disk picks up water in said trough thereby to provide a iihn of water on said disk for de-humidifying the heated air after it has passed over the clothes, said one end of said trough permitting water to flow out of said trough to empty the same when said disk stops rotating, said trough being substantially entirely to one side of the center of said disk whereby return of used water into said trough from said disk is inhibited by the tendency for the water to be thrown off the disk on the other side of the center thereof during rotation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,598,287 Bowden et al. Dec. 28, 1954 2,767,638 DaViS OCt. 23, 19'56 2,792,640 Patterson May 21, 1957 2,858,621 McMillan NOV. 4, 1958 

